To raising Autism awareness and Acceptance, and battling negative stereotypes about Autism.
To advocate for the inclusion of Autistic people in the community.
To offer a forum to broadcast our stories and thoughts, and to help the messages of Autistic people and non-Austistic allies reach as many people as possible.

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Saturday, November 1, 2014

Hope Says 'Yes'

Even with open memo breathing down my neck, Autistics Speaking Day is too important to be all reruns. Forever ago, when it was warm out and I had time on my hands, I wrote about how I saw us facing a decision: we could be a flashover subculture, mostly small bands of Internet rebels, or we could be something lasting, ultimately a people. The signs as I read them say that enough of us are making the moment-by-moment commitment to each other that I hoped we would.

One of our own who needs help has gotten a lot of support. I said we needed more room for dissent and different styles and watched the new follower emails arrived. we laugh at some of the same things. The agenda is more than ‘no.’ There are still things to say no to, like eugenic ideas as resilient as fictional monsters and whatever those presidential aides thought they were doing. Community, society, and culture, though, are more than resistance to whatever is imposed, oppressive, unwanted, or wrong. The latter is a necessary condition for the former in the long run. Increasingly, I see people saying ‘yes’ to student groups, writing and disseminating good ideas, writing their elected officials, or chipping in a few dollars toward something worthwhile. The dream that absorbed so much of so many of our lives was worth it.

I said that a culture is a story. We won ours somewhere along the way. Make it a good one. Between now and this time next year, say ‘no’ when other autistics need you if you can. Also see if you can say ‘yes’ to something that makes it better, richer, more welcoming than before. What you do can be as small as including someone or as big as starting a business or nonprofit. Whatever your gifts, abilities, and circumstances, your contribution is very important. You can help this thrive and grow.

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